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Ksubi

Tuesday, 2 August 2011

He would look like Dion Antony, a scruffy, great looking, always welcoming, always listening, always got a story or a joke to tell and always fun to be around.The Sydney sufer boys behind Ksubi, Dan Single and George Gorrow (with the beard), have firmly put this town on the map of international fashion. With a typically cheecky sense of humour which comes through in both their designs and their shows – they notoriously released hundreds of live rats onto the catwalk during Australina Fashion Week in 2001 – Ksubi is considered one of the world's coolest brands. Just ask Kate Moss, Sienna Miller and Kanye West. If you happen to know them that is.

DAN SINGLE

Where do you go to get inspiredShopI don't usually shop for fashion in Sydney; mostly I wear our own stuff and vintage clothes. If I was to buy something fancy I would head to Assin in Paddington, vintage shopping in Newtown on King Street and Enmore Road, there is also lots of great food around there, in Marrickville you can find all kinds of hidden stuff from grocery stores to bric a brac and a great record shop called Mint Condition.BookshopAriel and Berkelouw both on Oxford Street are great for all kinds of books; Published Art in Surry Hills is great for books on design and art. There was also a great second hand bookshop on King Street in Newtown but has gone now (r.i.p)MagazineMy favourite magazine store is the newsagents on Oxford Street or the back section of Ariel. My magazines are: Purple magazine, Another Magazine, music mags, and girly mags.WebsiteWebsites are not really my thing, the only website I usually look at is Google for when I need info, I also browse music blogs like fluokids, the hype machine, discobelle, bigstereo, geeky stuff like that.Outdoors spaceBondi Beach early in the morning can't be beat. I grew up at Avalon and any time of the day is amazing up there! But for now Bondi in the mornings is pretty special. If you can get your hands on a boat then going from Rose Bay to Bondi looking at those cliffs is incredible. The best surf spot on the city side is Mackenzie's Bay, it's just tucked away between Tama and Bondi, and it has great fun little waves. If you head up the coast then Whale Beach wedge, little Avalon and Curl Curl are always pretty reliable.North Bondi rocks in summer is a great place to hang out, swimming off the rocks there makes you feel well removed from anywhere, then heading in and having lazy lunch at Nth Bondi Italian with friends on the balcony is the best summer afternoon ever.Creative space My office is a great creative space, it is pretty shambles but there is enough things lying around to keep you entertained for days.GalleryThe Monster Children Gallery is great for young up and coming art; a then the MCA is the best for big shows and stuff from o/sCinemaI love going to the movies, usually it's just to Bondi Junction cause its local, but Sydney has two great cinemas, beautiful buildings, one of them is the Cremorne Orpheum and the other the Randwick Ritz. They are both big grand art deco movies with big screens too!Who is your ultimate Sydney style icon and why? Dion Antony and Angus Gruzman, they have style without even trying, they don't give a damn.What element of style does Sydney have that the rest of the world needs?It needs to be more carefree and not so serious, like Sydney is.Who in your sphere is an up and coming Sydneysider to watch? Music it would be Beni, Gus da Hoodrat, Spruce Lee, the Hoops, in fashion Therese Rawsthorne, Romance was Born, Konstantina Mittas, and Gail Sorronda. The bang gang is still the best party around but Ro Sham Bo and Gaybash are hot on their tails...What would advice would you give to aspiring people in your field?Do it for yourself and do it for fun, try and enjoy every moment along the way. The journey is as important as the end result

GEORGE GORROW'S STYLE STATEMENT:

My greatest inspiration comes from two places: The first is friendships and family. The second is travelling. I have many inspirational friends whose vigour pushes boundaries their particular fields. You get so much out of anyone who's passionate about what they do and it's infectious. I'll bounce art off a musician, fashion off a movie director. Everyone has a different perspective and take on things. I love examining life from different angles, and the feeling like I need to pull my socks up.Culture shocks are just that! They shock you into new ways of thinking and living. I recently went to Morocco and became infatuated by the ancient Buriburi men. They lived in the mountains separating Morocco from the Sahara - the border of Africa but there is no African influence. I found the most amazing decorative dresses and handcrafted artefacts. That just took me to another place.What element of style does Sydney have that the rest of the world needs?It's hard to actually pin point what it is that Sydney has, but it has it! Just like London has its thing, Paris, New York, Berlin etc. Over the last say five years it's really developed a certain style. Bondi is the perfect place to be. About four years ago Hedi Slimane of Dior came out to see us and see what was happening. He stayed for a week. After he left he went and did his best show ever.Who in your sphere is an up and coming Sydneysider to watch? Ozlem Esen of the brand ‘Children Of The'. She is relaunching her new line after a long break. If she can harness all her creativity, she is definitely the one to watch. She's amazing. Good luck Oz.